Good on you Graham. You should be advising the government.

There’s are two aspects here clothed in vagaries, one is the effective influence of the Murdoch press, the other is the latest propensity for Australia to be used as litmus paper.

Dan

I use Facebook to link to key media players to provide me news about issues I am interested in.

Graham is right. FB only provides a short summary and link to actual media source.

There should be research on how the equation works in terms of benefit to each party, rather than more whinging from a media sector that does not really have much readership any more.

If people want to read so-called quality journalism, albeit what is quality anyway given the ignorance of the mainstream media to China for many years, then pay for it

Well argued, Graham. There's a very simple solution. Make it law that any company earning income or profit inside or from Australia has to pay an unavoidable 15% flat tax on that income regardless of where their alleged H.Q's are! As for news theft? Nothing is lost if the alleged news is mostly opinion pieces presented as news. The Murdoch press? In any event, the net tax collected will rise dramatically and those currently paying an honest share will be vastly better off!

As for Google and Facebook? Having them pay a fair tax as applies to all others, would place them in a position they could not argue with on any ground? We can get around the double tax act of 1953 by repealing and replacing it with something else with no loopholes!

And fit for purpose. And allow other governments to tax our nationals under the same criteria, given the way the current law/agreement allows the system to be gamed by the unscrupulous?

Leave Google and Facebook alone providing they pay their fair share of tax and let competition and the market decide who survives and who goes under! If little guys like yourself, Graham, can stand the heat?

I believe the government is disingenuous in its argument? And simply wishes to suppress free speech given some of it is not to their liking? Especially overwhelming, evidence-based, nuclear energy, peer-reviewed scientific facts? TBC.
Alan B.

>While it might be legitimate to tax different kinds of companies at different rates and
>book the income to general revenue, it can never be legitimate to tax different
>companies at different rates and book the income to their competitors.

Bt that's not what's being proposed. The news content creators are suppliers not competitors.

Meanwhile Google have made a counterproposal. Unfortunately I don't know what it is because the link that purported to explain it instead linked to a Youtube video Google made about the problem. Some have said it's the only Youtube video you can still watch without seeing an ad first!

Google and Facebook should abandon Australian news
I'd be in favour of Australia giving the insanity of Google & facebook advertising a miss along with the insane repetiveness of Australian advertising.
Advertising is an industry that employs & provides a livelihood for many however, advertisers have overstepped the line. It's time to put a stop to the insanity ! By all means advertise your goods & services but there's really no justification/need for such perpetual saturation assaulting us via the Media & entertainment !
Give us a break !!